After the homepage, the most visited page on most websites is the About Us page.  The web is a great equalizer for business and your visitors know a shady company can put up a reputable looking website.  In order to gain trust, you have to answer the biggest question a consumer on the web is asking:  Can I trust you?

To answer that question, your visitors will turn to the About Us page.  You need to convey information about your company, demonstrate why you are trustworthy, and develop a personal connection with your visitor, all in 400-600 words.  This information is expected and delivering the goods boosts your online image.

Elements to consider when crafting an About Us page:

• A physical address – An 800 number and contact form are easy, convenient ways for customers to reach you, but a physical address shows a prospective customer that you are a real business.

• What you do – Most of your site will focus on solutions for your customers.  The About Us page is the corner of your site to talk to visitors about your company.

• Why you do what you do – How did the company begin and what is the driving passion behind it?  This is a great way to demonstrate dedication to your customers.

• Your successes – This page is not for the modest!  If you have received any awards or recognition, tapped into a competitive market, or experienced impressive growth mention them.  These are signals to your potential customers that you will do a good job for them.

• What makes you different– Chances are you are not the only business doing what you do.  A look at what sets you apart gives visitors a reason to choose you.

• Personality – If your company is fun to work with or singularly dedicated to helping customers, make sure visitors know that.  Your company’s culture should shine through in the writing.

• Staff bios – Give your visitors a connection with the people behind the business.  The web is cold and impersonal, but humanizing elements add a friendly face and make the experience more personal.

As much as the web has changed the way businesses relate to their customers, the importance of trust has not diminished.  Potential customers want to know they are dealing with a reputable company in addition to getting a great product.  Build credibility on your site and convert visitors into customers.

How often have you come across a website that looks plain and lacks visual appeal? Maybe not so much anymore, but not too long ago Web developers around the world were whipping out websites left and right as fast as they could without thinking how visual elements play a role in a websites success.

Let’s put your site to the test. Go to your website and take a brief gander. Now, close your eyes for three seconds and then open them. What is the first thing your eyes are drawn to? Whatever the object may be, it is a focal point on your website. The focal point of this blog, for example, is the logo and the dark gray bar that goes across the top. These kinds of visual elements stand out from the rest and lead your sites visitors to different areas.

That’s why it’s important to think about how Web design affects Web usability. Something as simple as an effective color scheme can make or break Web conversions. Here’s a classic example of a website that’s living in the stone age. What I find interesting is that I can’t look at anything else but the moving yellow ad on the right hand side of the page. Every time I try and read something I’m drawn away by the in-your-face ad. These stand-out images and moving objects are very annoying to internet users out there, young and old alike.

Sometimes you get the itch to use that bright neon green and pink, but please I beg you stay away from anything that can be perceived as distracting. Otherwise, it’s almost a garauntee that you will lose potential customers.